Su Yi was a bit stunned. Is this guy… trying to recruit me?

He then watched as Wang Zhuo laughed. “Of course, you must think this awfully bold and abrupt. As an expression of my sincerity, I’ll guarantee two things.”

He stretched out a finger and said, “First, so long as you join us, I guarantee that the Jade Capital’s Su Family won’t dare act against you ever again.”

He then stretched out his second finger and said, “Second, I guarantee you a chance to step into the Origin Dao, and furthermore, that an expert cultivator of the Spirit Dao will guide you personally!

“Young Lord, with your talent and foundations combined with the guidance of a Spirit Dao cultivator, becoming a Spirit Dao cultivator yourself one day might well be within the realm of possibility.”

When he finished, he smiled and took a drink. “This is my sincerity. Please, consider it.”

His manners were perfect, and he seemed utterly confident and at ease. He assumed that such conditions were enough to move any martial artist around. 

After all, he was Wang Zhuo, and this was his guarantee!

Unfortunately, he’d miscalculated something.

Most martial artists of the Great Zhou knew how glorious his reputation as the palace master of Skywalk Academy was. They knew the extent of his prestige and influence. 

But Su Yi…. Had no idea who he was.

Even if he did know, he’d surely turn up his nose at Wang Zhuo’s petty accolades.

Su Yi then stretched out his fingers and drummed the tabletop. “Would you like to hear the truth?”

Wang Zhuo smiled faintly. “Young Lord Su, please speak directly. I’ll listen with my full attention.” 

Su Yi said flatly, “In my eyes, your so-called ‘sincerity’ is nothing but a joke.”

“A joke?” Wang Zhuo’s smile disappeared, and his brow furrowed. “Please, enlighten me.”

Su Yi paused to think, then said, “In light of your ignorance, I’ll make an exception and explain, just this once.”

Ignorance….? The corners of Wang Zhuo’s lips twitched, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was actually rather curious to see just what kind of reasons Su Yi would come up with. 

“I began this journey to the Jade Capital for the sole purpose of resolving my grudge with the Su Family. Do you think I’m worried about their attempts to stop me? That’s the first reason.”

Su Yi then laughed dryly. “As for the personal guidance of a Spirit Dao cultivator? Someone like that isn’t qualified to teach me anything.”

Wang Zhuo’s smile froze; it seemed Su Yi’s utterly disdainful words had stunned him.

A moment later, he shook his head ruefully. “Young Lord Su, it’s good to have youthful vigor, it’s good to be courageous, and it’s even better to be blessed with great fortune, but after hearing what you just said, I can’t help but feel like you’re more ignorant of Spirit Dao cultivators than I imagined.” 

Su Yi said nothing; he couldn’t be bothered to explain.

It was times like this that the word “ignorant” came into play. Sometimes, even just stating facts was enough for others to accuse you of boasting.

Wang Zhuo drank another glass of wine, then smiled. “How about this? So long as you’re interested in joining our faction, you’re welcome to state any requests you might have. So long as they’re within my power to grant, I’ll satisfy them all.”

He obviously couldn’t be bothered to argue with Su Yi about how terrifying Spirit Dao cultivators were. Presumably, he figured that Su Yi wouldn’t understand even if he explained; Su Yi was just too young…

Su Yi asked, “How did you find me?”

Wang Zhuo’s eyes shone with an inquisitive light as he said, “Don’t tell me you don’t know? The Su Family publicly announced that you’d depart the Imperatorial Provincial Capital and proceed to the Jade Capital on the fourth. Ever since, countless prominent factions have set their sights on you.”

“But there shouldn’t be anyone who knows which specific path I plan to take to the Jade Capital,” said Su Yi flatly. 

“No, there are people who know.”

“Who?”

“The Ten Directions Pavilion,” said Wang Zhuo with a faint smile. “From the moment you left the Imperatorial Provincial Capital, the Ten Directions Pavilion’s Swiftlight Sparrows have been keeping tabs on your every movement from ten thousand feet above.

“The Swiftlight Sparrows are extremely perceptive, and they can coordinate with each other. No matter where you go, the Ten Directions Pavilion will know right away. Then, they’ll sell your whereabouts—at an exorbitant price—to anyone who wants to know.”

He said this, then winced, “In order to ensure I was the first to meet with you, I spent a full five hundred tier-three spirit stones.”

“The Ten Directions Pavilion….” A faint hint of light flashed through the depths of Su Yi’s gaze.

He wouldn’t have guessed that the mysterious organization famed for its information network would use his trip to the Jade Capital to sell information regarding his whereabouts to turn a massive profit!

They were effectively acting as scouts for his enemies; no matter where he went, so long as they were willing to pay the price, anyone could find him right away!

“Young Lord Su, as you can see, even the Ten Directions Pavilion is helping your enemies. I’m afraid that on your journey to the Jade Capital…. Danger lurks around every corner,” said Wang Zhuo softly. “But if you join us, all of this danger will vanish in a puff of smoke.”

But Su Yi only laughed. “No, I actually think this is a good thing.”

After a brief, stunned pause, Wang Zhuo asked in bewilderment, “A good thing?”

“To tell the truth, I was thinking about this very problem on my way here: what do I do if those set on killing me can’t find me?” said Su Yi bluntly. “With the Ten Directions Pavilion ‘helping’, I can rest at ease.”

He paused, then added, “But if they’re using my whereabouts to turn a profit, they’ve clearly got ulterior motives. Later, I’ll have to find a chance to get even with them.”

When Wang Zhuo heard this, he was completely dazed, and he sank into a lengthy silence.

And here he’d thought inviting Su Yi to this banquet and offering such tantalizing conditions during a time of such grave peril was sure to convince Su Yi to join them. 

Who would have thought that….. 

That wasn’t the case at all!

“Right,” said Su Yi. “Might you tell me which organization you belong to?”

Wang Zhuo took a moment to adjust his mental state, then laughed heartily, “If you agree to join us, I’ll naturally tell you anything you wish to know.”

“And if I refuse?”

Wang Zhuo stared intently at Su Yi for a moment, then sighed. “I hope you won’t refuse. Please, think it over carefully. You’re still so young, and you’re blessed with great fortune. Your future prospects are limitless; I certainly don’t wish to see your corpse buried in the wilderness.”

When he said that, the atmosphere instantly grew tense and stifled. The civet languishing on his shoulders raised its head, and its unearthly, icy blue eyes stared intently at Su Yi.

Su Yi laughed. “Want to try me?”

Wang Zhuo fell silent. A while later, he sighed. “Is this really necessary? Do you realize that there’s an ambush lying in wait outside Dragonbridge Station? There’s a fifth-level Grandmaster adept in the Dao of Formations, a Xiantian Martial Ancestor skilled at assassination, and….”

Before he could finish, Su Yi rose and said flatly, “Let’s get on with it.”

Wang Zhuo took another drink, then gently patted the black civet draped over his shoulders. “It’s truly a pity….”

Whoosh~!

He suddenly disappeared from his chair, as if his body were illusory.

Immediately afterward, one lamp after another went out, casting the entire luxurious hall into darkness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening blasts rang out, and towering flames mixed with wind and lightning rose up and surged around the hall.

In an instant, the hall seemed to transform into an explosive purgatory of wind, lightning, fire, and fog. These four disparate powers formed into attacks, then swept towards the spot where Su Yi was sitting all on his own.

“A flimsy, unseemly little formation. It’s not even worth looking at.” A hint of disdain appeared on Su Yi’s lips. 

As soon as he entered the hall, he noticed that the twenty-four lanterns placed around the room were all tools used for placing formations. 

Even the red carpet, the arrangement of tables, and Wang Zhuo’s seat hid various secrets.

While chatting with Wang Zhuo, Su Yi saw through the formation in its entirety. 

As he pondered, he rose from his chair and flicked his finger.

Kcch!

A streak of clear, radiant blue sword qi flew through the air, slicing into several of the distant lanterns.

Bam!

The affected lanterns burst apart, and when the turbulent sea of flame was just three feet from Su Yi, it collapsed, shattering into glyphs and flecks of light before disappearing. 

Kcch! Kcch! Kcch!

Su Yi flicked his finger ten times in rapid succession. Each time, yet another streak of blue sword light appeared. The streaks crisscrossed in the darkness, striking at different orders and angles. Each targeted a different lantern.

When he finished, Su Yi didn’t even pause to look at the results. He just turned and left.

A series of cracks and explosions rang out behind him—the sound of sword qi shattering the lanterns.

The lightning, wind, and baleful mist of the formation….. All of it dispersed behind Su Yi, like a receding tide.

Then, just three snaps of the fingers later, the entire formation collapsed.

And Su Yi? He casually pushed open the door and walked through it. 

……

Outside, it was pouring rain, and the skies were dark and overcast.

About one hundred feet from Dragonbridge Station, Wang Zhuo gently patted the black civet in his arms as he stared into the pavilion now shrouded in darkness. He couldn’t help but sigh to himself, “What a shockingly talented young man. I really can’t bear to see him die….”

A massive, brawny man almost ten feet tall stood beside him, holding an umbrella, which he used to shield Wang Zhuo from the downpour.

The man himself was completely exposed to the rain, but he just let it drench him. His lips curled into a grin, and he said in a low, muffled voice, “Your Excellency, if we don’t kill him, someone else will. In that case, whatever stroke of fortune he’s obtained might as well go to us.”

“Fortune….” Wang Zhuo’s eyes flashed, and he sighed, “‘Men die for wealth, while birds die for food.’ The ancients were right.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at the short, gaunt elder with bright, spirited eyes standing beside him. “Brother Chongming, the ‘Small Thunderflame Formation’ you placed really is extraordinary. It seems to me that even if it can’t kill Su Yi, it’ll at least deal him a heavy blow.”

The gaunt elder wiped the rainwater from his face and said modestly, “Your Excellency, you exaggerate. This old man’s attainments in the Dao of Formations are but superficial knowledge.”

Although he said this, his face shone with pride.

But it was then that—

“Superficial knowledge? If you ask me, this formation is so coarse, even that’s an exaggeration.” As this calm voice rang out, a tall, lean figure appeared beneath Wang Zhuo and the others’ dumbstruck gazes.

Su Yi leisurely emerged from the distant pavilion and opened his oil paper umbrella. Then, he strode through the darkness and pouring rain, straight toward Wang Zuo.

I’m the type of nerd that reads natural history books for fun, and Chinese can sometimes be…. Frustratingly vague when it talks about animals? Like Chinese speakers can (and sometimes do) differentiate between goats and sheep, but they often don’t bother.

I bring this up because Wang Zhuo’s “pet” is a 狸貓, which has three different definitions in my dictionary: a leopard cat, a raccoon dog/tanuki, and a palm civet. Those are three completely different animals! Leopard cats are small felines native to southern Asia! Tanuki are caniform carnivores native to eastern Asia, more closely related to dogs than cats. Palm civets are viverrids, a type of feliform carnivore native to southern Asia and parts of Indonesia. They’re related to cats, but they’re not felines!

I honestly have no clue what animal the author meant to write about, so I just had to pick one. I went with the civet because I found pictures of them with eerie, glowing eyes. If you ask me, Leopard cats and tanuki are too cute to be scary. They’re also just the right size to fit nicely on a man’s shoulders. 

But then, tanuki are frequent tricksters (more in Japanese folklore than in Chinese, but they do still sometimes show up in ancient Chinese ghost stories) so maybe it’s the raccoon dog? But I have a hard time picturing a dog-like animal draping itself over someone’s shoulders like that. Dogs don’t bend that way! Neither do foxes or badgers! And they’re too big to fit for that!

Leopard cats are the most “normal” and “pet-like” of the three. They’re the wild ancestors of Bengal cats, a breed created by hybridizing domestic cats and Asian leopard cats. They’re the type most likely to be a pet in real life, but doesn’t that make them too boring for a cultivation novel? This seems like the second most likely choice, and I wavered between this and civet. The deciding factor, honestly, was fear that people would mistake "leopard cats" for leopards when they're decidedly different animals.

Pure Chinese sources like Baidu also include non-Bengal housecats with leopard-like markings, binturongs, raccoons, and red pandas...

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You are welcome to mentally substitute whichever of the three animals you like best, and you are welcome to make your case for your translation of choice in the comments. Regardless, please enjoy this video of civets devouring a banana.

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A reader, Erudite_Birdy, shared a link to a blog post that discusses this exact term. It sounds like it is in fact supposed to be a leopard cat. I'm just going to leave it for now, as it isn't relevant to the plot, although I might fix this in an updated version of the text.